Fire chief quarrel simmers

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 26, 2007 by Tim Hrenchir

By Tim Hrenchir

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

New developments emerged Tuesday in the continuing rift between the local firefighters union and Topeka Fire Chief Howard Giles.

City manager Norton Bonaparte told city council members at their evening meeting that he had met separately with Giles and with union leaders and planned to have both at the table for a meeting expected to take place next week.

Bonaparte also said the city will use money received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to buy helmets this year for the department's 54 lieutenants, who previously were told they wouldn't get them this year.

Meanwhile, the president of Local 307 of the United Steelworkers Union expressed the 1,500-member local's support for members of Local 83 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, who have asked Bonaparte to fire Giles.

"I urge you to consider any action that would remove Fire Chief Giles and build a leadership at the fire department that we all can feel safe and confident with," Local 307 president Robert Tripp wrote in a letter dated Monday and sent to Councilman Jeff Preisner, who provided a copy to The Topeka Capital-Journal.

The Capital-Journal was unable late Tuesday to reach Tripp, whose letter said Local 307 represents employees at Topeka's Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant, Goodyear Distribution Center, Aramark Services, Defender Janitorial Services and facilities staff at Washburn University.

"You may believe that we are one labor organization simply supporting another, and honestly it is true that we support those that deserve it," Tripp wrote. "It would be a mistake to believe that is the only reason. In our 60-plus years in this community we have never seen such a loss of confidence in any leader within our community."

Members of Local 83 agreed overwhelmingly in a vote nearly two weeks ago that they lacked confidence in Giles' ability to run the department.

Bonaparte told the council Tuesday evening he met Friday with members of Local 83's executive board, who expressed concerns he characterized as being managerial, budgetary and operational. Bonaparte said he went over those with Giles, who is preparing materials in response. Bonaparte said he plans to have both union representatives and Giles at the table for a meeting next week.

Among concerns expressed by the union was an assertion that after the department planned to buy newer-style helmets for its 54 lieutenants this year at a cost of $8,640 as part of a helmet replacement program begun last year, Giles chose not to cover that expense because the department spent more than $100,000 to replace gear contaminated when firefighters responded to flooding May 7.

But Bonaparte told council members Tuesday evening the city no longer sees a hindrance toward buying those helmets - which city finance director Jim Langford said would now cost $8,748 - using a portion of money the fire department is receiving from FEMA.

Giles said last week that FEMA had agreed to reimburse the city $24,000 of the amount it spent to replace contaminated gear and the city would receive about $31,000 from FEMA that it applied for linked to the deployment of Topeka firefighters to Greensburg following the May 4 tornado.

In other business Tuesday evening, council members:

n\u2002Heard Mayor Bill Bunten say he is planning a retreat for the city's governing body, which includes the mayor and council, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 27 at a site that hasn't been determined. Bunten had told the council Sept. 11 he was seeking to arrange a retreat in which the city's governing body could meet to discuss Topeka's needs, how to address them and how to pay for them.

n\u2002Voted 9-0 to approve a conditional-use permit that will allow Ellite Investments to replace a billboard sign posted on a 35- foot pole with a sign of the same size on a 50-foot pole. The sign is located on land just east of S.W. Interstate 470 and south of the Cracker Barrel restaurant, 1421 S.W. Ashworth Place.

n\u2002Remained in council chambers after the meeting was adjourned to receive incident command system training prepared by federal officials and provided by Topeka police Capt. Ron Brown. Brown said the training would help prepare local leaders for property-damaging and potentially life-threatening incidents.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached

at (785) 295-1184

or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.